"Tianyuan Pavilion?" Di Tian's expression showed a flicker of confusion. In his memory, Shrek Academy didn't have such a division—his knowledge was still stuck five years in the past.
Still, even though he didn't understand the origin of this so-called Tianyuan Pavilion, that didn't stop Di Tian from being wary of Zhu Ziyang. He could clearly sense an immensely terrifying power surging within this human's body—one that even made him feel threatened!
Di Tian's expression remained cold as his gaze passed over Zhu Ziyang and landed on Diwu Huan'er behind him. Only after confirming she was unharmed did he slightly relax. As for the Crimsongold Flame Lion King lying breathless before her, Di Tian simply ignored it. If a soul beast was deemed worthy of becoming food or a soul ring for the auspicious beast, that was its fortune!
While Di Tian inspected Diwu Huan'er, Zhu Ziyang was also observing the soul beasts gathered behind Di Tian. Closest to Di Tian stood a green-clad woman—dress, hair, eyes, and even her wings were all green. With such a distinctive appearance, her identity was obvious: the Emerald Swan Bi Ji, ranked fourth among the Ten Great Savage Beasts.
The next closest was a man with a sinister aura—clearly the Demon-Eyed Tree Lord, the Myriad Demon King, ranked fifth.
Farther behind stood two easily recognizable true forms: a towering Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear over fifteen meters tall, and a three-headed Crimson Demon Mastiff. These were without doubt Bear Lord and Crimson King, ranked sixth and eighth respectively among the Ten Great Savage Beasts.
"Human, I don't care who you are. You should be grateful that nothing has happened to the auspicious beast. Otherwise, even razing Shrek Academy to the ground would not be enough to quell my wrath!" Di Tian said coldly.
"Heh…" Zhu Ziyang chuckled and replied calmly, "Perhaps."
"…?" Di Tian was momentarily silent. He had expected a sharp rebuttal, but Zhu Ziyang's nonchalant "perhaps" caught him off guard.
"Your name is Zhu Ziyang, correct?" Bi Ji finally spoke with a gentle voice. "What is your relationship with the auspicious beast?"
"You all call her 'the auspicious beast'? Why don't you call her by her name?" Zhu Ziyang responded with a question of his own instead of answering.
"Uhh…" Bi Ji's words hit a wall, her expression frozen, completely thrown off by his unexpected retort.
"Heh. I see now," Zhu Ziyang said with a cold laugh. "So what you care about isn't her as a person, but what she is. To you, it doesn't matter who she is, what her name is, or what she likes—only that she's the auspicious beast. If she were just an ordinary golden-blooded soul beast, I'm sure some of you would've been the first to devour her, refine her bloodline, and strengthen your own!"
"That's not true—" Bi Ji began to explain, but Di Tian cut her off with a raised hand.
"Human," Di Tian said coldly, "leave the Star Dou Great Forest immediately. I'll overlook the sin of abducting the auspicious beast—for now. But from this moment forward, you are forbidden from setting foot here again. If you do… there will be no mercy!"
"Hah!" Zhu Ziyang scoffed. "And if I say no?"
"Then you're seeking death!" Di Tian's voice rose as a terrifying pressure erupted from his body and swept toward Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang remained motionless. With a faint shake of his body, the crushing aura dissolved like snow in the sun. Di Tian's eyes narrowed, and even the other four savage beasts were visibly surprised. This man had effortlessly dispersed Di Tian's pressure—his strength was no joke!
"Heh… To be honest, I came to the Star Dou Great Forest fully expecting a fight," Zhu Ziyang said, smiling as he raised his right hand in a taunting gesture. "Let me see just how powerful the so-called King of Soul Beasts really is!"
Just as he said, Zhu Ziyang had come prepared for battle. Though he had promised Diwu Huan'er not to strike first, it was unrealistic to expect things to remain peaceful.
After all, they came here to negotiate—and any negotiation must be backed by power. Without strength to make your opponents listen, there was no negotiation to begin with.
This world still belongs to the strong. The weak have no right to sit at the table!
"Very well!" Di Tian was so angered by Zhu Ziyang's arrogance that he actually laughed. "Let's see if you regret it!"
The moment he spoke, Di Tian vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Zhu Ziyang. He raised his hand, black energy swirling around his palm as he struck.
Zhu Ziyang's smile faded. He raised his own hand, divine light surging out as palm met palm in a direct clash.
Both men were forced back a few steps. Their first exchange ended in a draw—but Di Tian's expression was grim.
"Ultimate Light… No wonder you're so arrogant!" Di Tian said, eyes filled with wariness and surprise.
"Likewise," Zhu Ziyang replied calmly. "Near-law-level Ultimate Darkness—Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Patriarch of the Black Dragon Clan… Truly worthy of your name!"
Bi Ji and the others were dumbfounded by the mutual praise—but the revelation about Zhu Ziyang possessing the Ultimate Light element left them shocked and envious. Among the Ten Great Savage Beasts, only Di Tian had an Ultimate Element—none of the others did.
"Human, you are far more worthy of my full power than that Mu En ever was!" Di Tian said seriously. He moved again, launching a flurry of attacks with his hands. Darkness poured toward Zhu Ziyang like a torrential downpour.
Zhu Ziyang met each strike, his hands brimming with light. The two forces clashed again and again—light and darkness twined, washed over, and corrupted each other in endless conflict.
After a while, both stepped back simultaneously, then surged forward in unison. Their right palms collided violently, releasing a terrifying shockwave that swept outward, annihilating every tree, boulder, and even the hearts of weaker soul beasts in a kilometer-wide radius.
When the shockwave dissipated, a massive vacuum zone appeared—not of air, but of elements. All Light and Darkness had been completely drained from the area!
"Excellent!" Di Tian smiled, rare for him. "You're the first in years who can match me in elemental combat. Dare to take this to the skies for a full-power duel?"
"I welcome it!" Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate. At his current strength, he feared no one below God Rank—and even against Gods, he could trade one for one!
Just as the two were about to ascend and unleash their full power, Diwu Huan'er awoke from her soul contract.
"Stop! Both of you, stop! No more fighting!" she cried out immediately.
Seeing her awake, Zhu Ziyang gave up on the duel. He had already shown enough strength to warrant negotiation. The duel with Di Tian was more of a whim anyway—there would be plenty of chances later. For now, the real business came first. He calmly walked back to Diwu Huan'er.
"Well, since Huan'er has spoken, we won't fight today," he said with a shrug.
"Hmph!" Di Tian clearly wasn't satisfied. Glaring at Diwu Huan'er standing beside Zhu Ziyang, he said coldly, "Auspicious beast, leave that human and return to us!"
"Huan… I mean, auspicious beast, come on back. Don't make Di Tian angry!" Bi Ji added, nearly calling her name before catching herself.
"No!" Diwu Huan'er shook her head firmly and clung to Zhu Ziyang's arm. "Uncle Di Tian, Aunt Bi Ji, I came back this time with Brother Ziyang because he's found a way to resolve the conflict between soul beasts and soul masters!"
"A way to resolve it?!" Bi Ji and Crimson King's eyes lit up, visibly intrigued. Myriad Demon King and Bear Lord remained indifferent.
As for Di Tian, there was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, but he sneered. "Overestimating yourselves!"
"Maybe so," Zhu Ziyang replied with a faint smile. "After all, most of us humans don't care about the soul beast–soul master conflict."
(End of Chapter)
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